Wreck-preventing apparatus for ships



Patented Apr.

HArvuLoN.v WRECK PREVENTING APPARATUS FOR SHIPS.

\ APPLICATION mm MAR.3.19'19.

' the lower floats by which the ship is sus- UNITED ,srrrllr'si'l ROBERT'J. HAMILTON, or BROWNINGQMONTANA. n,

WRECK-PREVENTING Arrnmvrusk non sHIPs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented *.Apl', y19, 1921,

Application ledvMarch 3, 1919. Serial llTo. 280,243.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a device ofthis character which will safely sustain a ship above the danger point and which is normally out olf use and can be instantly or `quickly brought into use at. the proper time.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device for preventing the sinking of ships which can be operated to lift the ship to which it is attached in the water and operated to lower the ship in the water.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a ship preserving device or apparatus which can be attached to large and small vessels, and which will safely sustain the vessels against sinking no matter what the cause of disability may be.

l/Vith the above and other objects in view the invention comprises certain combinations, arrangements and relations of parts, clearly described in the following specifica tion and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the ship preserving apparatus Aor device in position for preventing the ship from sinking.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional'view, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the upper and tained above the danger point.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view showing one of the lower floats and the roller for wind- 'PATENT i, OFFICE. f

of any size and type. To the upper side Y portions of the body 5 the inner walls 6 of the upper Inflatable `floats 7 are securely fixed, bymeans of rivets or other'suitableV fastening devices. l

The upper'float's 7 are arranged in pairs on the opposite-sides of the ship, asshown 1n Fig; 1, and are supplied with air through tubes 8, which are connected at the lower ends tol the'upper floats, and at their inner ends to the air pumps9, which are arranged on the upper'deck 10. A single air pump Y may be employed for the upper floats, or a pump maybe provided for each upper float, as may be found most expedient. An aux- Iliary set of air pumpsis provided on the lower deck 11, consisting of the air pumps 12, and these` pumps are connected by means of air tubes `13 with the upper air floats. Suitable valves 14 arevprovided on-the air tubes for opening and closing the same,

ship may be increased, the means employed for holding theV floats compressed against the ship sides, whichmeans may consist of ordinary cables or ropes, is released and air is forced into the floats.

f The upper floats will provide sufficient additional buoyancy to meet many of the n disabilities which ships encounter, but to provide an abundant reserve of floating capacity l employ lowerV floats 15, which are arranged in pairs againstl the sides of the ship, and when in use are held below the upper floats, and preferably under the upper floats, when said lowerV floats are inflated and placed in ship sustainingposition.

Each lower float consistsof an inflatable bag-like body, sufficiently flexible to conformrto the shape ofthe ship side', and this bag-like body is secured to the .spring roller or winding shaft 16, which carries on its ends collars 17,' each'of which is provided with an upper eye 18 andv with a lower eye 19. The upper ends 2()v of lowering and lifting cables 21 are connected to the upper eyes 18 and the lower ends 20a are connected to the lower eyes 19 of the end collars 17.

. ships. The upper portions of cables 2l are movably karranged on the hoisting devices 27, which are'ada-pted tobe swung over the sides or to be rotated in any position. The devices or standards 27 are shown as projecting slightlyover the sides of the ship,

and the cables 2l held by'said devices vor arms away from the sid-es of the ship. y

The opening in the ship hull through which the lower portion of each cable passes is located below the lowermost point to which the roller 16 is lowered, so that the proper pullingaction can be secured, and the cables' 2l are held normally taut when ythe lower floats are in ship sustaining posi tion byv means of` suitable tension devices 28, which may consistof the usual take-up pulley arrangement. 'A'r is supplied'to the lower `floats by Ameans of tubes 29,which preferably extend Y over the sides of the ship and are connected with the upper air pumps, though they may be connected with the upper and the lower airl pumps. The tubes V29 are suppliedl with suitable cut-off valves 30.

The lower floats may be brought into positionvbefore the upper floats, by lowering the'said'upper floats through the medium of the cables 2l and the winding devices. 'lhe upper winding` devices maybe used inde,-

= pendently of the lower winding devices, the

drums of the lower winding devices being allowed to run free, or the lower winding devices may be usedand the drums of the upperwinding devices allowed to run free, `or both the upper and lower winding devices may be employed. 'lhe lower floats are adapted to be inflated as theyare lowered-and when inflated to unwind from the spring rollers and to bear against the ship sides. When deflated'the spring, rollers are adapted' to windthe floats up, so ,that they .will occupy small space and can be stored on the upper deck, or if. desired may be i Lstored immediately under'the upper floats.

In addition to serving as means for windlin presencev of two witnesses.

ing Vthe upper floats into a comparatively small compass the rollers serve to distr1bute the strain upon the Vlower floats and to .reinforce the lower and connected portions of the lower floats.

y Each float consists of a double thickness of rubber' a, forming the bag-like structure .be arranged to operate wholly" against the outer faces of the -ship sides, and the upper floats may be mounted on adjustable plates, whereby they may be Vlowered or raised. These plates being attached to upper floats and formedwith bolt slots through which attaching bolts'adjustably secure the floats. 'Y k- From the foregoing description it :will be seen that 4the engineer can promptly lower the lower floats by means of the lower hoisting devices and bring both sets offloa-ts into ship sustaining positions, .without any assistance from the crew on the upper decks, or the crew on the upper decks may bring the floats into ship sustaining positions without the aid of the vengineer and his crew.

The lower floats serve to reinforce the upperfloats and also serve to force the yair from vthe. upper floats lwhen they( are raised against the upper floats. Y

Having described my invention l claim as new f Y 1 The combination with a ship having opposing sides, a roller located on each side ofthe ship, an inflatable member connected with each roller and arranged to be 'carried by the ship above the water line thereof, cables connected with said rollers, guides on said ship for said cables, means for operating said cables to lower saidrrollers and inflatable members below the water line, means for raising said. inflatable members and rollers above the water line, and means for inflating said members, said rollers being .adapted to permit of the inflatable members to be wound thereon.y when said members are deflated. t

ln testimony whereof l afliX my signature sonner J. inni/umori; Vlitnessesa Y I .I u 'Q E. FETZER,

" E. C. CATTs. 

